Embracing Silence

2011-10-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

Life IS a big game. Death is unreal. Waking up means we get the joke. Thankfully, Life keeps giving us the punchline. Could it be more obvious? Movies like, (The Game, The Matrix, The Truman Show, Tron, Vanilla Sky) and many others. These sprout from our collective recognition, either conscious or unconscious, of the true game nature of the life experience. It's all games within games all the way up! Play.

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds LIVE

2011-10-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

"The necessary essence of art is love. The true artist is a sacred performer. The true artist must do the magic that causes others to participate in conditional reality in the sacred sense, or the sense of love, in the sense of self-transcendence, in the sense of ecstasy. - Adi Da

David Deida : Spirit Sex Love

2011-09-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

www.adamsewardcounseling.net

How to Start a Daily Meditation Practice You Will Stick To

2011-08-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Pick a time the day before. The morning is best because it will create a stillness within you that will follow you through the day.

Step 2: Get a timer. Most phones today have a timer or some way to set an alarm. This is the MOST crucial step. This will allow you to let go of time which is essential for deep meditation.

Step 3: Decide on a good length of time. I find that 25 minutes is a good time frame but less may be necessary for beginners.

Step 4: Find a good place in your home. If you can, always try to meditate in this same place. Have it be free from any distractions such as TV, Kids, Internet, Phone ect. (If you are able to put your phone on Airplane mode it's a good idea)

Step 5: JUST DO IT. It may seem silly at first but it will get easier and seem more natural every time. The only time to truly start is NOW. So either start now, or make a decision RIGHT NOW what time tomorrow will work for you.

www.adamsewardcounseling.net

Free ACIM PDF

2011-08-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Did you know you can download a FREE PDF of A Course in Miracles?

Just follow this LINK FREE ACIM PDF

Experience Oneness Session 1

2011-08-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

100 Benefits of Meditation

2011-07-16T01:04:00.000-07:00

Physiological benefits:
1- It lowers oxygen consumption.
2- It decreases respiratory rate.
3- It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.
4- Increases exercise tolerance.
5- Leads to a deeper level of physical relaxation.
6- Good for people with high blood pressure.
7- Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
8- Decreases muscle tension
9- Helps in chronic diseases like allergies, arthritis etc.
10- Reduces Pre-menstrual Syndrome symptoms.
11- Helps in post-operative healing.
12- Enhances the immune system.
13- Reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress
14- Enhances energy, strength and vigour.
15- Helps with weight loss
16- Reduction of free radicals, less tissue damage
17- Higher skin resistance
18- Drop in cholesterol levels, lowers risk of cardiovascular disease.
19- Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing.
20- Decreases the aging process.
21- Higher levels of DHEAS (Dehydroepiandrosterone)
22- prevented, slowed or controlled pain of chronic diseases
23- Makes you sweat less
24- Cure headaches & migraines
25- Greater Orderliness of Brain Functioning
26- Reduced Need for Medical Care
27- Less energy wasted
28- More inclined to sports, activities
29- Significant relief from asthma
30- improved performance in athletic events
31- Normalizes to your ideal weight
32- harmonizes our endocrine system
33- relaxes our nervous system
34- produce lasting beneficial changes in brain electrical activity
35- Cure infertility (the stresses of infertility can interfere with the release of hormones that regulate ovulation).

Psychological benefits:
36- Builds self-confidence.
37- Increases serotonin level, influences mood and behaviour.
38- Resolve phobias & fears
39- Helps control own thoughts
40- Helps with focus & concentration
41- Increase creativity
42- Increased brain wave coherence.
43- Improved learning ability and memory.
44- Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation.
45- Increased emotional stability.
46- improved relationships
47- Mind ages at slower rate
48- Easier to remove bad habits
49- Develops intuition
50- Increased Productivity
51- Improved relations at home & at work
52- Able to see the larger picture in a given situation
53- Helps ignore petty issues
54- Increased ability to solve complex problems
55- Purifies your character
56- Develop will power
57- greater communication between the two brain hemispheres
58- react more quickly and more effectively to a stressful event.
59- increases one’s perceptual ability and motor performance
60- higher intelligence growth rate
61- Increased job satisfaction
62- increase in the capacity for intimate contact with loved ones
63- decrease in potential mental illness
64- Better, more sociable behaviour
65- Less aggressiveness
66- Helps in quitting smoking, alcohol addiction
67- Reduces need and dependency on drugs, pills & pharmaceuticals
68- Need less sleep to recover from sleep deprivation
69- Require less time to fall asleep, helps cure insomnia
70- Increases sense of responsibility
71- Reduces road rage
72- Decrease in restless thinking
73- Decreased tendency to worry
74- Increases listening skills and empathy
75- Helps make more accurate judgements
76- Greater tolerance
77- Gives composure to act in considered & constructive ways
78- Grows a stable, more balanced personality
79- Develops emotional maturity

Spiritual benefits:
80- Helps keep things in perspective
81- Provides peace of mind, happiness
82- Helps you discover your purpose
83- Increased self-actualization.
84- Increased compassion
85- Growing wisdom
86- Deeper understanding of yourself and others
87- Brings body, mind, spirit in harmony
88- Deeper Level of spiritual relaxation
89- Increased acceptance of oneself
90- helps learn forgiveness
91- Changes attitude toward life
92- Creates a deeper relationship with your God
93- Attain enlightenment
94- greater inner-directedness
95- Helps living in the present moment
96- Creates a widening, deepening capacity for love
97- Discovery of the power and consciousness beyond the ego
98- Experience an inner sense of “Assurance or Knowingness”
99- Experience a sense of “Oneness”
100- Increases the synchronicity in your life

Meditation is also completely FREE! It requires no special equipment, and is not complicated to learn. It can be practiced anywhere, at any given moment, and it is not time consuming (15-20 min. per day is good). Best of all, meditation has NO negative side effects. Bottom line, there is nothing but positive to be gained from it! With such a huge list of benefits, the question you should ask yourself is, “why am I not meditating yet?”

CLICK HERE FOR A FREE GUIDED MEDITATION

Who Are Their Pupils?

2011-07-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

Certain pupils have been assigned to each of God's teachers, and they will begin to look for him as soon as he has answered the Call. They were chosen for him because the form of the universal curriculum that he will teach is best for them in view of their level of understanding.

Who are God's Teachers?

2011-07-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

A teacher of God is anyone who chooses to be one. His qualifications consist solely in this; somehow, somewhere he has made a deliberate choice in which he did not see his interests as apart from someone else's. Once he has done that, his road is established and his direction is sure. A light has entered the darkness. It may be a single light, but that is enough. He has entered an agreement with God even if he does not yet believe in Him. He has become a bringer of salvation. He has become a teacher of God. (A Course in Miracles-Manual for Teachers pg 3)

Embracing Silence: Awakening Repost

2011-06-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

ONENESS

2011-06-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a brief recap of a bit of the subject matter from last nights Oneness Meeting

1.) This IS Onenss.

If you look in front of you without mentally separating, you see
that this is oneness.

The Reality of this moment is that All is One.

2.) You ARE Oneness.

If this is Oneness, and there's a sense that You Are, then it follows naturally that you are Oneness.

3.) Silence IS Oneness.

It's only when we find the silent space between our thoughts,
underneath the illusion of separateness, that we are able to truly Experience Oneness.

Checkout the new EmbracingSilence.com

Can you coax your mind from its wandering and keep to the original oneness?

2011-06-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

When you don't believe your thoughts, what is is what you are. There's no separation in it. You're everything. Only the unquestioned mind would believe that you're an I living inside a body.

What is the original oneness? Chair-hand-cup-window-sky, before "chair," "cup," "window," "sky." You don't return to it since you've never left. How could you leave it? Where else is there to go? The center of the universe is wherever you are, and it's everywhere. It's the origin and the end point, the beauty of darkness, the exultation of nothing. And only the center is real. When you understand that, you realize that even oneness is unnecessary. (Byron Katie 10,000 Names for Joy)

Experience Oneness Summer Series

The Quiet Mind

2011-05-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

The memory of God comes to the quiet mind. It cannot come where there is conflict, for a mind a war against itself remembers not eternal gentleness.

Oneness Quotes from A Course In Miracles

2011-05-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

"The world you see is based on "sacrifice" of oneness. It is a picture of complete disunity and total lack of joining. Around each entity is built a wall so seeming solid that it looks as if what is inside can never reach without, and what is out can never reach and join with what is locked away within the wall. Each part must sacrifice the other part, to keep itself complete. For if they joined each one would lose its own identity, and by their separation are their selves maintained."

"Complexity is not of God. How could it be, when all He knows is One? He knows of one creation, one reality, one truth and but one Son. Nothing conflicts with oneness."

"No one but is my brother. I am blessed with oneness with the universe and God, my Father, one Creator of the whole that is my Self, forever One with me. I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me."

"All things that come from God are one. They come from Oneness, and must be received as one."

"Love cannot judge. As it is one itself, it looks on all as one. Its meaning lies in oneness."

"Heaven is neither a place nor a condition. It is merely an awareness of perfect Oneness and the knowledge that there is nothing else; nothing outside this Oneness and nothing else within."

Adam's Counseling Website

Meetup Homepage

2011-04-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

Awakening Now

2011-04-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

Four Steps to Owning Your Greatness

2011-04-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

First go to one of Charlie Sheen's seminars. If that doesn't work try this...

1. Admittance - This is not an easy confession to make. "Ok Yes, I am the light of the world." Playing small, not wanting to sound arrogant, and a whole slew of other things prevent us from admitting the greatness of who we truly are.

2. Embrace - Embrace is short for "Embrace the energy in every form." This means that whatever thought or situation life is manifesting as, there's energy in it for you. We sometimes misinterpret energy by labeling it and then cut ourselves off from it.

3. Center - Your heart is the infinite center of your being. This is the one place that you can hold the infinite nature of who you are. Fully human and fully divine.

4. Rest - Spend time resting in the fullness of who you are. Abide in the Self. Do nothing and be everything, often.

The ego would tell you that to say that you're The One, would be the most arrogant thing you could say. In truth, its the least... its the only statement that doesn't involve pretending.

Love,

Adam

Awakening Through Self Inquiry

2011-04-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

2011-03-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

Q: Am I allowed to smoke in your presence? I know that it is not the custom to smoke before a sage and more so for a woman.

M: By all means, smoke, nobody will mind. We understand.

Q: I feel the need of cooling down.

M: It is very often so with Americans and Europeans. After a stretch of sadhana they become charged with energy and frantically seek an outlet. They organize communities, become teachers of Yoga, marry, write books - anything except keeping quiet and turning their energies within, to find the source of the inexhaustible power and learn the art of keeping it under control.

Q: I admit that now I want to go back and live a very active life because I feel full of energy.

The Golden Whistle

2011-03-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, I saw a man wearing a silver whistle around his neck. I was immediately reminded of a dream I had had the night before that also involved a whistle. I never would have remembered this dream if I hadn't seen a whistle that was the exact same shape the next day. Even more, the dream was no ordinary dream and the whistle was no ordinary whistle. In fact, in the dream, the whistle contained infinite creative power. You could literally blow this whistle and create a world if you wanted. It also felt as if I had had the whistle before, but had lost it a long long time ago. Also in the dream, was my life long teacher and mentor. I asked him, "Greg, do you know about the whistle?" His reply, "Oh yes!"

Two weeks later (No longer dreaming) I was sitting with Greg in his office and asked him, "Does the image of a sacred golden whistle have any meaning to you?" Without hesitation he stands up, walks to the corner of his office and opens a little cabinet, out of which he pulls a golden whistle on a chain. He lays it on the table and says, "Did it look like that?" !!!

It turns out that there have only been two items in his life that he felt he absolutely had to have and this whistle was one of them.

This miracle has been such a powerful reminder to me of the great and perfect order of things. It has helped renew a deep sense of purpose and direction. This whistle now represents a calling that I believe many of us are beginning to hear and greater and greater volume. I like to think of it as a call home.

This experience has also reminded me of a poem by Hafiz,

" I am the hole in the flute through which the Christ's breath flows through. Listen to the music."

www.adamsewardcounseling.net

Awakening

2011-03-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

Listen as Jim Carrey describes his experience of Awakening

2011-03-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

Improving Your Spiritual Tool Box

I need a boyfriend. Is that true?

2011-02-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

Who would you be without your story? Awakening through Self Inquiry

2011-02-12T10:57:00.000-08:00

Who would you be without your story? Awakening through Self Inquiry
Thursday February 17th @ 7:00 p.m.
Bellevue Unity Church

Silence is that place where...

2011-02-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

Silence is that place where everything is O.K. It's that deeply comforting space, where all of the problems, worries, and stresses of the world melt into insignificance. Where doing is secondary and Being is primary. Where manifest reality is more like a ripple on the surface of an ocean of infinite depth. Stillness is another world that points to this absolute state. Most of us, most of the time, hold our world of thoughts and stories to be The Truth about the way things are. We live our everyday lives in our heads, accepting our mind stories as "the way things are." But silence reveals another dimension of potential meaning. From here, the purity of life, independent from our mental dictation, emerges as more real than the previous projection. There's no doubt that it takes a certain humility to enter this fully, and that one must be open to the possibility that they are wrong, not wrong in who they are, this is actually the first step toward the revelation of all that's right about who you are, but wrong in the sense of who you thought you were, and the way you have thought things to be. Things are not as you thought, and that is really good news! In fact, if you have been telling yourself a sad or depressing story about the way things are, that's great news.This is not to say that a person cannot posses wisdom, or deep knowing, also known in the Buddhist tradition as Prajna… or to invalidate the core truths that support and sustain you on your path, but the problem making mind chatter, the incessant worry, and so on, are based more in fear and projection, and are therefore empty of any inherent truth or value.

From the awakened point of view, things begin to be seen in a particular way. For example, the world begins to take on characteristics of transparency, luminosity, and perfection. It’s a viewpoint that tends to see the One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death. It sees what is not only beyond, but also deep within every from as its innermost indestructible essence. What is the path to this view point? Meditation. Pure and simple. What is even more powerful is meditating with others...Read More

Gratitude and Thankfulness

2011-01-24T20:21:00.000-08:00

Thankfulness is realizing that this is the Promise Land. This is the Garden of Eden. This is Heaven on Earth. Thankfulness is the automatic response to the realization of nirvana, not somewhere else, but rather, the reality that is seen from the awakened perspective.

Many people don’t think of gratitude as spiritual practice. But if you look at the essence of all spiritual practices, you’ll see some effort to come into the present moment. One thing about gratitude is that it acknowledges the present moment. It acknowledges what you already have in the present moment, rather than directing your attention at what you never had, or what you hope to have one day. So, when practiced properly gratitude is in itself a meditation.
Gratitude means coming into the moment, and into the awareness of the completeness of the moment. To quote Lao Tsu, “When you realize there’s nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” It then means receiving, on a deep and true level, the many gifts that the present moment contains. In other words, it’s the acceptance of the light that is within the present moment.
There’s always light. If you ever find it difficult to cultivate a state of gratitude, you can be sure that your mind is somehow in darkness, that there’s some light in the present moment that you are unable to see, or you are somehow attached to pain. Gratitude is the meditation of coming into the present moment and acknowledging the light that this moment forever contains.
Look at all you have right now and say, “Thank you.” Can you look at the things in your life and say thank you? How about starting with your last meal? Was it satisfying? Where did it come from? Did you buy it? What account did this money come from?
Now ask yourself, do you spend more time in fear and worry about resources that aren’t there, or in gratitude for what is there? Ego has a hard time with gratitude. Again, gratitude is a problem-less, fearless, state of mind. Therefore, there’s not much room for ego in the world of gratitude. The general way the egoic mind operates is from concern regarding the possibility of the resources not being there, more often than focusing on what is there, and being thankful for what is there.
It’s true that we have this tendency of focusing on what we don’t have or fearing that there will not be enough. Why do you think we do this?
I’ve heard it said that the ego wants to want more than it wants to have. There’s this continual struggle for an identity that we see in the ego and the way it operates, that if it can keep you wanting, if it can keep you looking to the future for what you will have one day, it can hold your allegiance to it, that one day, in the future, it will deliver what you want. Eckhart Tolle calls this, “Seeking salvation in the future.”
It has been said that if the only prayer you say in your entire life is, “Thank You,” that would be sufficient! “Thank You,” when said from an authentic place of gratitude—from a place of deep understanding and sincerity, acknowledges the okayness of this moment. In fact, it acknowledges more than the okayness of this moment. It sees grace. It sees that all of its needs are met. The person in the state of gratitude is just delighted continuously in all that life has to offer, and is not concerned with, or questioning what isn’t available.
That’s part of why I like the term “thankfulness.” It is thanks in the acknowledgment of the prevailing fullness. In other words, the true nature of this and every moment is fullness. We talk a lot about emptiness and spaciousness, consciousness and awareness. But it is thankfulness that brings us into awareness this “great fullness” that is the manifest reality! Whether it’s the taste of a strawberry or the sound of a flute, whether it’s being intimate with your lover, or eating a bar of chocolate, viewing a beautiful sunset or sitting in your favorite chair, it’s fullness. There is a great fullness that is acknowledged with thankfulness. And thankfulness opens the heart to the light that fills our daily lives.
You’ve probably heard of the exercise of creating a gratitude list. This is where you make a list of the different aspects of life that you’re grateful for. Often it includes certain close relationships, material things, sometimes it’s just the clothes on your back and the food in your belly, and then sometimes it’s just gratitude for the opportunity to breathe air in this moment, to be alive in this moment.
As the list gets larger and larger, the fullness of our life comes into view. There’s so much that each of us have if we are open to see it. You have a body. What a gift. This vehicle to maneuver in. You have a mind and a brain, what a fun and interesting gadget this is when it doesn’t run your life. There’s also the million little gadgets that exist in our world today that make life potentially so much more fun, efficient, productive, and organized. The iPhone, for example, if you have one, you know it’s an amazing device. I guarantee that that would go on my list of things I’m grateful for.
You said that the ego wants to want, more than it wants to have. What do you mean?
It’s a peculiar thing, what the ego does, continually focusing on what isn’t there, on what you don’t have, rather than on what you do have. If you could just switch the two and be thankful for what you do have you could be in bliss right now. The ego has made it its job to want. Why? Because wanting denies the now and emphasizes both future and judgment. Judgment of this moment, that it’s not enough, and future, that one day, not today, there will be enough. But what the ego doesn’t tell you is that there will never be enough, because as soon as there’s enough, the ego is out of a job. And if the ego is out of a job, then the need for the ego, and the relevance of the ego is seen to be empty in truth.
So thankfulness is realizing that this is the Promise Land. This is the Garden of Eden. This is heaven on earth. Or in the words of Jesus, “The Kingdom of Heaven is in our midst.” Thankfulness is the automatic response to the realization of nirvana, not somewhere else, some enlightened state that only the Buddha can reach, but rather, the reality that is seen from the awakened perspective. This is heaven. This is God’s game. This is Awareness experiencing itself as form, which can be a lot of fun. It can be quite entertaining and heavenly when we don’t lose ourselves in it, or when the “I,” the one who decided to forget who it was for the sake of entertainment, doesn’t lose itself. Again, lila is the name used in Hinduism to describe God’s play.
Thankfulness as a spiritual practice means not letting the ever-so-tempting apple of what you don’t, have lead you out of the all-your-needs-met Garden of Eden. The nature of the universe is basic goodness. This basic goodness is your Garden of Eden before you start to label, judge, separate, and limit it...Read More

Storytelling

2011-01-16T22:49:00.000-08:00

When we allow ourselves to truly observe the infinite majesty of the universe, we stand speechless and story-less. We recognize the futility of our attempts to contain the limitless and the infinite within our conceptual reference points. We stand in a state of momentary humility and awe.

So what is storytelling? In Byron Katie’s book Who Would You Be Without Your Story? the author discusses storytelling as a way in which the mind keeps itself occupied and sustained by dictating the nature of reality. Our stores are like blankets we use to cover what is, instead of experiencing it directly as it is.

Byron Katie asks the question, “Who would you be without your story?” Which is, of course, is another form of Self Inquiry. A question that I like to ask is, “What might you see without your story?” If you look at the sunset on the water, what might you see without your story? If you looked at a flower, and allowed it to tell you what it is in its Beingness, what might you see? When looking up at the night sky, what if instead of assuming that you are the expert on which constellation is where, or if that object is a star, a satellite, or Pluto. What if instead you just allowed the night sky to tell you what it is?

I notice that when I watch a sunset without imposing my story, it has an absolute sincerity. Its beauty is unmoving and infinitely sustained. As long as you are absorbed in telling life what it is through your habitual mind-stories, you are robbed of the infinite complexity, and the awe-inspiring wonder of every moment.

There’s a Zen story that involves a master pouring water into a student’s cup until it starts overflowing. The student says anxiously, “Master, you’re overflowing my cup. The tea that you’re pouring is no longer going into the cup. It’s falling to the ground.” To which the Zen master replied, “You’re like this cup. You’re too full of ideas, beliefs, and concepts. Empty yourself of these,” he said as he emptied the cup, “and there will be room for you to be filled with more prajna.” which is the Buddhist term for or wisdom. It’s the same with storytelling. Our stories fill our perceptual cups. The nature of things has already been decided. It’s not up to you to determine reality. Practicing the wisdom of Zen means emptying yourself of your stories, and in doing so, enjoying the basic goodness and essential kindness which is the true nature of the universe.

I love the word projection because it reminds me of the old movie projectors. I see a guy turning a crank in order to give power to a device that creates an image on the screen. I like this analogy because I think it accurately represents the nature of the mind. A consistent theme that exists in the teachings of all awakened masters, is that what you see out there, is in fact the projection of your mind.

You might as well be at the movies, except you’re the director of this film. You’re also the screenwriter, the editor, and the entire production team. To quote the Buddha, “It’s all your mind.”

The issue is that we forget it’s a movie, that it’s temporary, and that ultimately it’s not real. We momentarily forget that we are in the director’s seat. We start to take the movie very seriously, and we lose ourselves in our projected screen images. You can lose the ‘You’ that is the invulnerable, silent, ground of Being, the ‘You’ that is whole and perfect forever. Thus, the once happy dream becomes more of a nightmare.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. You can deeply enjoy the beauty of your movie. You can even enjoy the drama and the excitement that comes with inhabiting a human body. There’s a reason that in Hinduism they use the term “lila” to describe the manifest world, which translates as, “God’s Play.” Or to quote Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage.” The experience of life in a human body that is not contaminated with false identification has the potential of being immensely joyful...READ MORE

Why Worry?

2010-12-06T16:37:00.001-08:00

Awakening means that you start to notice the worrier. You catch yourself worrying. You are no longer identified with the worrying self. This means that you can decide how much power and attention you are going to give to this part of you.

As a human being, you already know what it means to worry. Usually it shows up as an ongoing fear that a future outcome will not turn out the way you expect. This fear then turns into obsessive and repetitive thinking, which is commonly known as worry. I like this little saying, “If there’s something you can do, then it makes no sense to worry about it. And if there’s nothing you can do to help the situation, then it makes no sense to worry about it.” In other words, there’s either something or nothing that you can do. Either way, it makes no sense to worry.

One of the things worrying does to get its grip on you is it pretends to be necessary. Somehow, usually in a clever way, worrying deceives you into thinking that you need it. It leads you to think that if you can just worry about this situation enough, it will turn out the way you want it to. The truth is that worrying does nothing to help or improve any situation. It is not necessary. That’s why I call it a false friend.

Think about it. Has worry ever helped you? Has it ever delivered? What has been a positive result of worry in your life? You won’t find anything. Yes, maybe you acted to improve a situation because of a nagging sense of worry, but it was the action not the worry that improved the situation. If you honestly investigate, you will see that worry hasn’t done anything.

Always keep this in mind: Worry does nothing to help or improve any situation. It is not necessary. It shows up in the disguise of a helpful or supportive presence, and if you look clearly at it, you see that it does nothing to help or protect you, but in fact it only reminds you of your fears and blinds you from the safety of what is.
Einstein said, “You cannot solve a problem at the level that created the problem.” Just like the law of floatation was not discovered by the contemplation of the sinking of things, you must rise above the level of the problem to solve the problem. That means letting go of worry.

What about intuition? Sometimes I just get the sense that there’s something wrong. Does this mean ignoring that also?
There’s a difference between worrying and trusting that inner voice of wisdom. You know, that still, small voice that directs you from a place of deep certainty, confidence, and love. The authentic wisdom that arises in the hear is distinguishable from the fearful, worrying voice that speaks mostly in “what if’s” and “woulda,” “coulda,” “shoulda.”

In other words, there’s a difference between authentic care and worry. Care comes from the heart. It’s that loving energy which is free from the anxiety ridden, fearful, obsessive, and unceasing mind pattern called worry.
Of course, that’s easier said than done because worry sneaks up on you. I have a mortgage to pay, car payments to make, and I don’t have the money. My car is probably going to be taken away from me. How do I keep from worrying?
Again, I believe a more important question is, “Why worry?” Yes, you are in a challenging life situation, but what is worry going to do to help you with this? Life is full of challenges. Worry turns a challenge into a problem, and adds additional stress to the situation. You have a choice. You can focus on all of these things that need to be done and all of these demands that life is bringing to your doorstep, and worry about them. Or, you can redirect all of the energy that was going into worrying into action.

Does awakening free a person from worry?

Awakening means that you start to notice the worrier. You catch yourself worrying. You are no longer identified with the worrying self. This means that you can decide how much power and attention you are going to give to this part of you. If you have seen the truth that worrying does nothing for you, you can accept that the worrying thoughts that are coming up for you, recognizing that that’s part of being human, and then have compassion for that aspect of your humanity. You can then let it go.

Sometimes it feels like my worrying gains momentum and this makes it very difficult to stop.

Yes, worry tends to be repetitive. It goes around in circles, over and over again, thus gaining a certain energy or momentum. There’s actually a spiritual practice that uses this same power of repetition to create a momentum of its own. It’s called, mantra meditation. It can be a powerful practice in freeing you from the grip of incessant worry. It involves choosing a sacred word or symbol and repeating it to yourself, usually internally. Over and over again, you focus your attention on this sacred word or symbol. Just as repetitive negative thoughts feed worry, repetitive spiritual focus feeds peace. Christian centering prayer is a powerful practice that works this way

This practice can be used in a way of changing your mind, and quite literally influencing the vibration of your thinking patterns. It helps you tune into the intelligence that is not resonant with the vibration of worrying, that which resonates at a higher level—at the level of creativity, intuition, and inspiration.

Is there a particular mantra to get a habitual worrier to stop worrying? How do you correct years and years of worrying patterns?

I appreciate mantras that reflect the essential kindness of the universe. It may be a word phrase that reminds you of the basic goodness that exists all around you as the ground of your being. It may just mean affirming that you are ok, and that everything is going to be ok. Sometimes it means repeating a sound that has a particular vibration such as Om or Hu.

As far as correcting years of worrying patterns, there’s something to be said about conditioning and karma. For many of us, our human conditioning is multi-generational. It’s a pattern that is inherited aspect of your particular body-mind.

So, why worry? We worry because we’re conditioned by our karma and our habitual mind patterns. This is part of being human. Further, we worry because we care. This care creates fuel for the incessant, directionless, purposeless mind-activity that is called worry. Again, the answer to the question, Why worry? Is: Don’t! There’s nothing to worry about. Everything is going to be okay. In fact, it’s already okay. Reality exists in a natural state of okayness forever.. So, “Why worry” means, don’t worry. And most importantly, don’t worry about your worrying. It’s okay. Let it go.

Want to order your copy of the book? Click Here

The Way is Simple

2010-05-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

It has been said in the Tao te Ching that The Way is very simple. If this is true, than one form of spiritual practice could be to “simply” ask yourself “What does it mean to be simple.” Seems simple enough. In one sense, simple means there’s not a lot to you. It means that your not full of complex equations, high flatulent philosophies, or sophisticated scientific theories. No. You are simple. You’re not saddled with unsolvable problems. You life isn’t filled with drama. No. Instead you are quite ordinary actually. In your work life, to use the Zen expression, you “Chop wood and carry water.” Which just means that you perform your duties calmly and mindfully, with only the effort required by them.

Some of the best teachers of how to do this on Planet Earth are not monks, or nuns, or shamans, but those who have made the long trip into their late life, the elderly. Have you ever noticed that? I know some elderly people who are far more enlightened than some of the most devout spiritual practitioners. They “get” what it means to be simple and are therefore some of the purest expressions of The Great Way you will ever see.

So being simple is really quite simple.

It just means that we empty ourselves enough to reveal what’s left in it’s brilliant simplicity.

The Great Way, The Ground of Silence, The Simple Feeling of Being. Can you Be that simple?

Adam Seward

Counselor and Spiritual Teacher

www.adamsewardcounseling.net

In this World, But not of it

2010-05-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

“I am in this world, but I am not of this world.”

This of course is one of Jesus’ most famous statements. But what did he mean? “What does it mean to be “in” the world but not “of” it? Let’s look at the first part, “In the world.” You are in the world. That’s a fact. All you have to do is look around you to know, with some certainty that you are in the world. But, as the saying goes, you are not “of” it. So you did not come from here in other words.

So...Where did you come from? You mean maybe?

Wait.

Maybe I didn’t come from what happened between my mom and dad 42 years ago or whatever?

Wow. That really changes the game doesn’t it! So where then are you from?

“Show me your original face. The face you had before your parents were born.“

Zen masters will ask their student this question (Also known as a Koan)to test their degree of enlightenment.

So where? Where is this “not of this world” place. Apparently that’s my home but I can’t remember. I cant quite recal this place, but you know something…now that you mention it, it feels as if there is a memory, ever so faint within me, of this other place. This place of wholeness. This place of spaciousness and freedom. This place of boundless expression. This place called home.

You know your Self in that moment. You realize that you are the One Cosmic Being. You are the sunrise and the sunset, or as the saying goes,

“the sun rises and sets with you.”

Or as they say in Zen, “You could drink the pacific Ocean in a single drop.”

So yes, you most certainly are in this world but in the moment of Awakening you know with Absolute Certainty that you are not of it. You know exactly What you Are of, or what you are made of, so to speak.

You know Where you came from. You know what ship you came in on. You know your original face.

Best,

Adam

www.adamsewardcounseling.net

The Microcosmic Orbit

2010-04-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

The microcosmic orbit is a classic Taoist practice for conducting energy using the breath. The practice awakens, circulates, and directs energy through the orbit formed by breathing down the front line of your body from the top of your head to the perineum (the functional channel) and breathing up the back line from the perineum to the top of the head (the Governing Channel)

Follow the instructions below.

1.Sit in a comfortable position, relax your body, calm your mind, and regulate your breath. Notice your bodily sensations. Feel the weight of your body in your seat and the contact of your feet on the ground. Bring your attention to the present moment.

2. Turn your attention inward and lower your gaze. As you breathe through the nose, feel, open to, and commune with all pervading energy within and surrounding you, especially above your head.

3. Visualize an especially intense concentration of energy above your head. Imagine that the top of your head is a blooming lotus flower, soaking up the light that's always falling upon you.

4. As you inhale, bring your energy and focus down to the area between (and behind) your eyebrows and draw energy forward toward this "third eye."

5. Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth to enable more energy to circulate and let your energy sink down through the palate and tongue into your throat to the heart.

6.Move your breath down further and deeper within the body, about two finger widths below the navel until you feel a concentrated pocket of energy glowing there-a point of golden light-clear, bright, warm, and pure. Allow your breath to naturally become lighter and subtler.

7. When the feeling of energy in your navel is stable and full, use your mind to guide this energy down into the genitals, the perineum, and then back toward your tailbone. Steadily visualize this energy as a small snake gradually passing through the tailbone.

8. Now complete the second half of the orbit by exhaling and visualizing the energy moving up the back of your body to where the ribs meet the spine, then right on up the spine to the back of the head. Imagine energy traveling up your spine to the center of your head and even above the head.

9. Begin another cycle, breathing in as the energy moves down the front channel from the top of your head to your perineum and breathing out as the energy moves up the back channel from the perineum to the back of your head.

Adam R. Seward

www.adamsewardcounseling.net

A Guideline to the Christian Contemplative Practice of Centering Prayer

2010-04-18T15:56:00.001-07:00

What is The Pain Body?

2010-04-05T13:30:00.001-07:00

According to Tolle, the pain body consists of remnants of pain, left behind by every strong negative emotion that is not fully faced, accepted, and let go of, join together to form an energy field that lives in the very cells of your body. It consists not just of childhood pain, but also painful emotions that were added to it later in adolescence and your adult life, much of it created by the voice of the ego. This accumulation of old emotional pain is called the pain body. (A New Earth p. 136)

“Triggers”

Some pain bodies react to only one particular kind of trigger or situation, which is usually one that resonates with a certain kind of emotional pain suffered in the past. For example, someone who in childhood was neglected or abandoned by one or both parents, will likely develop a pain body that becomes triggered in any situation that resonates even remotely with their primordial pain of abandonment (A New Earth p. 177.)

The beginning of freedom from the pain-body lies first of all in the realization that you have a pain-body. Then, more important, in your ability to stay present enough, alert enough, to notice the pain-body in yourself as a heavy influx of negative emotion when it becomes active. When it is recognized, it can no longer pretend to be you and live and renew itself through you ( A New Earth Page 161.)

Join us for our Embracing Silence meetup this month where we will be
bringing awareness to this thing called the “pain-body”
Thursday April 15th at Bellevue Unity Church at 7:00 p.m.

Thanks,

Adam R. Seward
Individual, Couple, and Family Counseling
www.adamsewardcounseling.net

Loving What Is

2010-03-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

“If I do The Work and I’m no longer fearful for the planet’s welfare, why would I get involved in social action? If I felt completely peaceful, why would I bother taking action at all?” My answer is “Because that’s what love does.”
The fear of not being fearful is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for people beginning inquiry. They believe that without stress, without anger, they wouldn’t act, they would just sit around with drool running down their chins. Whoever left the impression that peace isn’t active has never known peace the way I know it. I am entirely motivated without anger. The truth sets us free, and freedom acts.
When I take people to the desert, they may see a tin can lying under a cactus and say, “How can anyone do that to this beautiful desert?” But that tin can is the desert. It’s what is. How can it be out of place? The cactus, the snakes, the scorpions, the sand, the can, and us-all of it. That is nature, not a mental image of the desert without the can. Without any stress or judgment, I notice that I just pick up the can. Or I could tell the story that people are polluting the earth, and that there is no end to human selfishness and greed, and then pick up the can with all the sadness and anger I’d be feeling. Either way, when it’s time for the can to move, I notice that I’m there, as nature, picking up the can. Who would I be without my uninvestigated story? Just happily picking up the can. And if someone notices me picking it up, and my action seems right, they may pick up another can. We’re already acting as a community. Beyond anything that we’ve planned. Without a story, without an enemy, action is spontaneous, clear, and infinitely kind. (Loving What is Page 137.)

Adam R Seward
www.adamsewardcounseling.net

A Human Being

2009-12-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

You are a human being. What does that mean? Mastery of life is not a question of control, but of finding a balance between human and Being. Mother, father, husband, wife, young, old, the roles you play, the functions you fulfill, whatever you do—all that belongs to the human dimension. It has its place and needs to be honored, but in itself it is not enough for a fulfilled, truly meaningful relationship or life. Human alone is never enough, no matter how hard you try or what you achieve. Then there is Being. It is found in the still, alert presence of Consciousness itself, the Consciousness that you are. Human is form. Being is formless. Human and being are not separate but interwoven.
To love is to recognize yourself in another. The others “otherness” then stands revealed as an illusion pertaining to the purely human realm, the realm of form. The longing for love that is in every child is the longing to be recognized, not on the level of form, but on the level of Being.

When another recognizes you, that recognition draws the dimension of Being more fully into this world through both of you. That is Love that redeems the world.(Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth)

Namaste,

Adam

www.adamsewardcousneling.net

Tangerine Meditation

2009-11-09T13:34:00.000-08:00

If I offer you a freshly picked tangerine to enjoy, the degree to which you enjoy it will depend on your degree of mindfulness. If you are free of worries and anxiety, you will enjoy it more. If you are possessed by anger or fear, the tangerine may not be very real to you.
One day, I offered a number of children a basket filled with tangerines. The basket was passed around, and each child took one tangerine and put it in his or her palm. We each looked at our tangerine, and the children were invited to meditate on its origins. They saw not only their tangerine, but also its mother, the tangerine tree. With some guidance, they began to visualize the blossoms in the sunshine and in the rain. Then they saw petals falling down and the tiny green fruit appear. The sunshine and the rain continued, and the tiny tangerine grew. Now someone has picket it, and the tangerine is here. After seeing this, each child was invited to peel the tangerine slowly, noticing the mist and fragrance of the tangerine, and then bring it up to his or mouth and have a mindful bite, in full awareness of the texture and taste of the fruit and the juice coming out. We ate slowly like that.
Each time you look at a tangerine, you can see deeply into it. You can see everything in the universe in one tangerine. When you peel it and smell it, it’s wonderful. You can take your time eating a tangerine and be very happy. (Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step)

This is the essence of mindfulness. Being Present with whatever you are doing. Mindful walking is being deeply attuned to every step. Mindful eating is being acutely aware of the subtlety of every bite. Even if you’re day dreaming, being aware that you are day dreaming. Everything can be done mindfully, and with mindfulness comes a great sense of peace and relaxation. This months meetup will focus on this quality of mindfulness.

www.adamsewardcounseling.net

My Parents Shouldn't Judge Me...

2009-10-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

Is that True? This is the process of inquiry, or what Byron Katie calls “The Work.” We take a belief that seems to cause some discomfort, and we question it.
We ask, “Is it true that my parents shouldn’t judge me”, for example.

The answer to this question is simply yes or no. If the answer is, “Yes, it’s true, they shouldn’t judge me.” Then we ask, “Can you absolutely know that it’s true, your belief that your parents shouldn’t judge you?”

And this is the real “moment of truth” so to speak. This is where you must decide if you truly want peace. If you stay firm to your story that your thought is true, then it really isn’t necessary to go any further. Keep your story and all that comes with it.

If however, you are willing, even slightly, to entertain the possibility that you’re not right about what your parents should or shouldn’t do... If you are willing to let go of your own judgment about them, and how they should live their lives... If you are open enough to “Sell your cleverness, and purchase bewilderment” as the poet Rumi would say, then you are ready to go on to the next question.

How do you react when you believe the thought, “My parents shouldn’t judge me” and they are judging you? Do you get uncomfortable, restless, or upset? Do you become defensive and irritable? Do you at all forfeit your peace? Consider it.

If so, consider how your experience might be different without the thought?. Who would you be without the thought, “My parent’s shouldn’t judge me” when they are? How would it be for you to stop judging them, and the reality of what is happening, instead of just expecting them to? Would you feel more peaceful, accepting, and at ease? More in harmony with the way things are?
This is the way of it. Instead of imposing our should’s and shouldn'ts on others in our lives, we try it ourselves. We stop judging them, including their judgmental attitudes, and we experience more peace ourselves, because we are more accepting of the way things are.

Meditation on Compassion

2009-09-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

Love is a mind that brings peace, joy, and happiness to another person. Compassion is a mind that removes the suffering that is present in the other. We all have the seeds of love and compassion in our minds, and we can develop these fine and wonderful sources of energy. We can nurture the unconditional love that does not expect anything in return and therefore does no lead to anxiety and sorrow.

The essence of love and compassion is understanding, the ability to recognize the physical, material, and psychological suffering of others, to put ourselves "inside the skin" of the other. We "go inside" their body, feelings, and mental formations, and witness for ourselves their suffering. Shallow observation as an outsider is not enough to see their suffering. We must become one with the object of our observation. When we are in contact with another's suffering, a feeling of compassion is born in us.

We find ways to nourish and express our compassion. When we come into contact with the another, our thoughts and actions should express our mind of compassion, even if that person says and does things that are not easy to accept. We practice in this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent on the other person being lovable. Then we can know that our mind of compassion is firm and authentic. We ourselves will be more at ease, and the person who has been the object of our meditation will also benefit eventually. His suffering will slowly diminish, and his life will gradually be brighter and more joyful as a result of our compassion. (Peace is Every Step, Page 82,83)

Walking Meditation

2009-07-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

Walking meditation can be very enjoyable. We walk slowly, alone or with friends, if possible in some beautiful place. Walking meditation is really to enjoy the walking—walking not in order to arrive, but just to walk. The purpose is to be in the present moment and, aware of our breathing and our walking to enjoy each step. Therefore we have to shake off all worries and anxieties, not thinking of the future, not thinking of the past, just enjoying the present moment. We can take the hand of a child as we do it. We walk, we make steps as if we are the happiest person on Earth.
Although we walk all the time, our walking is usually more like running. When we walk like that, we print anxiety and sorrow on the Earth. Instead, let us walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the Earth. We can all do this, provided that we want it very much. Any child can do it. If we can take one step like this, we can take two, three, four, and five. When we are able to take one step peacefully and happily, we are working for the cause of peace and happiness for the whole of humankind. Walking meditation is a wonderful practice.
When we do walking meditation outside, we walk a little slower than our normal pace, and we coordinate our breathing with our steps. For example, we may take three steps with each in-breath and three steps with each out breath. So we can say, “In-in-in. Out, out, out.” “In” is to help us to identify the in breath.
If your lungs want four steps instead of three, please give them four steps. If they want only two steps, give them two. The lengths of your in-breath and out-breath do not have to be the same. For example, you can take three steps with each inhalation and four with each exhalation. If you feel happy, peaceful, and joyful while you are walking, you are practicing correctly.
Be aware of the contact between your feet and the Earth. Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet. We have caused a lot of damage to Earth. Now it is time for us to take good care of her. We bring our peace and calm to the surface of the Earth and share the lesson of love. We walk in that spirit. From time to time when we see something beautiful, we may want to stop and look at it-a tree, a flower, some children playing. As we look, we continue to follow our breathing, lest we lose the beautiful flower and get caught up in our thoughts. When we want to resume walking, we just start again. Each step we take will create a cool breeze, refreshing our body and mind. Every step makes a flower bloom under our feet. We can do it only if we do not think of the future or the past, if we know that life can only be found in the present moment. (Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step, pg 28.)

Adam R. Seward
Individual, Couple, and Family Counselor
www.adamsewardcounseling.net

Twenty Four Brand New Hours

2009-07-05T23:37:00.001-07:00

Twenty- Four Brand New Hours

Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy, and happiness to ourselves and others.
Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We don’t have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky. We don’t have to leave our city or even our neighborhood to enjoy the eyes of a beautiful child. Even the air we breathe can be a source of joy.
We can smile, breathe, walk, and eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness that is available. We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive. Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.

(Thich Nhat Hahn, Peace is Every Step pg 5.)

Adam R. Seward
www.adamsewardcounseling.net

More on Silence

2009-06-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Great Meeting Last Night!

2009-06-19T10:49:00.001-07:00

Over 50 Eckhart Tolle fans joined together to Practice the Art of Presence last night. There was great levity and laughter throughout the evening. The reading for the night was the story called, "Can You Hear the Mountain Stream." People shared there own Zen moments, we also discussed how ego interferes with our direct experience of the present moment. Surely this was a beautiful evening. Thank you to everyone who attended for the light you brought! Looking forward to seeing you all again next month!

Warmly,

Adam

For more info about next months meeting click here

Complaining and Resentment

2009-04-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

Complaining is one of the ego's favorite strategies for strengthening itself. Every complaint is a little story the mind makes up that you completely believe in. Whether you complain aloud or only in thought makes no difference. Some egos that perhaps don't have much else to identify with easily survive on complaining alone. When you are in the grip of such an ego, complaining, especially about other people, is habitual and, of course, unconscious, which means you don't know what you are doing. Applying negative mental lables to people, either to their face or more commonly when you speak about them to others or even just think about them, is often part of this pattern. Name-calling is the crudest form of such labeling and of the ego's need to be right and triuph over others: "jerk, bastard, bitch'--all definitive pronouncements that you can't argue with. On the next level down on the scale of unconsciousness, you have shouting and screaming, and not much below that, physical violence.

Resentment is the emotion that goes with complaining and the mental labeling of people and adds even more energy to the ego. Resentment means to feel bitter, indignant, aggrieved, or offended. You resent other people's greed, their dishonesty, their lack of integrity, what they are doing, what they did in the past, what they said, what they failed to do, what they should or shouldn't have done. The ego loves it. Instead of overlooking unconsciousness in others, you make it into their identity. Who is doing that? The unconsciousness in you, the ego. Sometimes the "fault" that you perceive in another isn't even there. It is a total misinterpretation, a projection by a mind conditioned to see enemies and to make iself right or superior. At other times the fault may be there by by focusing on it, sometimes to the exclusion of everything else, you amplify it. And what you react to in another, you strengthen in yourself.

The Core of the Ego

2009-03-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

The content of the ego varies from person to person, but in every ego the same structure operates. In other words: Egos only differ on the surface. Deep down they are all the same. In what way are they the same? They live on identification with separation. When you live through the mind-made self comprised of thought and emotion that is the ego, the basis for your identity is precarious because thought and emotion by their very nature ephemeral, fleeting. So every ego is continuously struggling for survival, trying to protect and enlarge itself. To uphold the I-thought, it needs the opposite thought, it needs the opposite thought of “the other.” The conceptual “I” cannot survive without the conceptual “other.” The others are most other when I see them as my enemies. At the end of the scale of this unconscious egoic pattern lies the egoic compulsive habit of faultfinding and complaining about others. Jesus referred to it when he said, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” At the other end of the scale, there is physical violence between individuals and warfare between nations. In the Bible, Jesus’ question remains unanswered, but the answer is, of course: Because when I criticize or condemn another, it makes me feel bigger, superior.

Join us this month for our meetups on April 16th and 30th where we will be discussing this further. For more information go to www.meetup.com/bellevuetollegroup or www.meetup.com/seattletollegroup

Silence is Golden

2009-03-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Silence is Golden; it has divine power and immense energy. Try to pay more attention to the silence than to the sounds. Paying attention to outer silence creates inner silence: the mind becomes still. Every sound is born out of silence, dies back into silence, and during its life span is surrounded by silence. Silence enables the sound to
be. It is an intrinsic but unmanifested part of every sound, every musical note, every song, and every word. The unmanifested is present in this world as silence. All you have to do is pay attention to it.

Join us this month as we share in this silence www.meetup.com/bellevuetollegroup
www.meetup.com/seattletollegroup

Is that So?

2009-02-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

The Zen master Hakuin lived in a town in Japan. He was held in high regard and many people came to him for spiritual teaching. Then it happened that the teenage daughter of his next-door neighbor became pregnant. When being questioned by her angry and scolding parents as to the identity of the father, she finally told them that he was Hakuin, the Zen Master. In great anger the parents rushed over to Hakuin and told him with much shouting and accusing that their daughter had confessed that he was the father. All her replied was, "Is that so?"

News of the scandal spread throughout the town and beyond. The Master lost his reputation. This did not trouble him. Nobody came to see him anymore. He remained unmoved. When the child was born, the parents brought the baby to Hakuin. "You are the father, so you look after him." The Master took loving care of the child. A year later, the mother remorsefully confessed to her parents that the real father of the child was the young man who worked at the butcher shop. In great distress they went to see Hakuin to apologize and ask forgiveness. "We are really sorry. We have come to take the baby back. Our daughter confessed that you are not the father." "Is that so?" is all he would say as he handed the baby over to them.

The Master responds to falsehood and truth, bad news and good news, in exactly the same way: "Is that so?" He allows the form of the moment, good or bad, to be as it is and so does not become a participant in human drama. To him there is only this moment, and this moment is as it is. Events are not personalized. He is nobody's victim. He is so completely at one with what happens that what happens has no power over him anymore. Only if you resist what happens are you at the mercy of what happens, and the world will determine your happiness and unhappiness.

The baby is looked after with loving care. Bad turns into good through the power of nonresistance. Always responding to what the present moment requires, he lets go of the baby when it is time to do so.

Imagine briefly how the ego would have reacted during the various stages of the unfolding of these events.

More on Inner Space

2009-02-18T08:27:00.001-08:00

Whenever there is beauty, kindness, the recognition of the goodness of simple things in your life, look for the background to that experience within yourself. But don't look for it as if you were looking for something. You can not pin it down and say, "Now I have it," or grasp it mentally and define it in some way. It is like the cloudless sky. It has no form. It is space; it is stillness, the sweetness of Being and infinitely more than these words, which are only pointers. When you are able to sense it directly within yourself, it deepens. So when you appreciate something simple-a sound, a sight, a touch--when you see beauty , when you feel loving kindness toward another, sense the inner spaciousness that is the source and background to that experience.

Many poets and sages throughout the ages have observed that true happiness--I call it the joy of Being--is found in simple, seemingly unremarkable things. Most people, in their restless search for something significant to happen to them, continuously miss the insignificant, which may not be insignificant at all. The philosopher Nietzche, in a rare moment of deep stillness, wrote, "for happiness, how little suffices for happiness!...the least thing precisely, the gentlest thing, the lightest thing, a lizard's rustling, a breath, a wisk, an eye glance--little maketh up the best happiness. Be still." (A New Earth Pg. 235.)

For more info on our next meetup visit www.meetup.com/bellevuetollegroup or www.meetup.com/seattletollegroup

Recognizing Inner Space

2009-02-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

Space between thoughts is probably already arising sporadically in your life, and you may not even know it. A consciousness mesmerized by experiences and conditioned to identify exclusively with form, that is to say, object consciousness, finds it at first almost impossible to become aware of space. This ultimately means that you cannot become aware of yourself, because you are always aware of something else. You are continuously distracted by form. Even when you seem to be aware of yourself, you have made yourself into an object, a thought form,and so what you are aware of is a thought, not yourself.

When you hear of inner space, you may start seeking it,and, because you are seeking it as if you were looking for an object or for an experience, you cannot find it. This is the dilemma of all those who are seeking spiritual realization or enlightenment. Hence, Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is!' or 'There! for behold, the kingdom if God is in the midst of you."

If you are not spending all of your waking life in discontent, worry, anxiety, depression, despair, or consumed by other negative states; if you are able to enjoy simple things like listening to the sound of the rain or the wind; if you can see the beauty of clouds moving across the sky or be alone at times without feeling lonely or needing the mental stimulus of entertainment; if you find yourself treating a complete stranger with heartfelt kindness without wanting anything form him or her...it means that a space has opened up, no matter how briefly, in the otherwise incessant stream of thinking that is the human mind. When this happens, there is a sense of well being, of alive peace, even though it may be subtle. The intensity will vary from a perhaps barely noticeable background sense of contentment to what the ancient sages of India called ananda--the bliss of Being. (A New Earth,Pg. 234)

Spaciousness and Saying Yes to the Now

2009-02-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

Join us on February 19th, at Bellevue Unity Church, as we continue the discussion of Inner Spaciousness. For more info about this Meetup CLICK HERE

This, Too, Shall Pass

2009-02-02T08:45:00.001-08:00

According to an ancient Sufi story, there lived a king in some Middle Eastern land who was continuously torn between happiness and despondency. The slightest thing would cause him great upset or provoke an intense reaction, and his happiness would quickly turn into disappointment and despair.

A time came when the king finally got tired of himself and of life, and he began to seek a way out. He sent for a wise man who lived in his kingdom and who was reputed to be enlightened. When the wise man came, the king said to him, "I want to be like you. Can you give me something that will bring balance, serenity,and wisdom into my life? I will pay any price you ask."

The wise man said, "I may be able to help you. But the price is so great that your entire kingdom would not be sufficient payment for it. Therefore it will be a gift to you if you will honor it." The king gave his assurances and the wise man left.

A few weeks later, he returned and handed the king an ornate box carved in jade. The king opened the box and found a simple gold ring inside. Some letters were inscribed on the ring. The inscription read: This, too, shall pass. "What is the meaning of this?" asked the king. The wise man said, "Wear this ring always. Whatever happens, before you call it good or bad, touch this ring and read the inscription. That way , you will always be at peace."

This, too shall pass. What is it about these simple words that makes them so powerful? Looking at it superficially, it would seem while those words provide some comfort in a bad situation, they would also diminish the enjoyment of the good things in life. "Don't be too happy, because it won't last." This seems to be what they are saying when applied in a situation that is perceived as good.

The story of the ring points to the fact of impermanence which, when recognized, leads to non attachment. Nonresistance, non judgment, and non attachment are the three aspects of true freedom and enlightened living.

The words help to make you aware of the fleetingness of every situation, which is due to the transience of all forms --good or bad. Once you see and accept the transience of all things and the inevitability of change, you can enjoy the pleasures of the world while they last without fear of loss or anxiety about the future.

This, too, Will Pass brings detachment and with detachment another dimension comes into your life--Inner Space. (Tolle,A New Earth, Page 225.)

Join us this month as we discuss this and other topics related to Inner Space, Thursday, February 19th,Bellevue Unity Church, 7:00 pm.

For more info visit www.meetup.com/bellevuetollegroup

The Discovery of Inner Space

2009-01-26T15:32:00.000-08:00

First, What a meeting last week! 50 people joining together to share the Sacred State of Presence! What a gift it is to be a part of such an enlightened community. I'm truly grateful.

Second, I am very enthusiastic about February as we will be having two meetups.

First, on the 19th we will be joining to discuss and hopefully experience what Tolle refers to as "Inner Space." Then on the 26th, we will be coming together to explore how to apply these teachings in our intimate relationships at our Enlightened Relationships Meetup.

For more info on these meetups visit
www.meetup.com/bellevuetollegroup

This is an exciting time for this growth of this community, and the growth of Awakened Awareness on our planet.

"Most people's lives are cluttered up with things: material things, things to do, things to think about. Their lives are like the history of humanity, which Winston Churchill defined as "one damn thing after another." Their minds are filled up with the clutter of thoughts, one thought after another. This is the dimension of object consciousness that is many people's predominant reality, and that is why their lives are so out of balance. Object consciousness needs to be balanced by space consciousness for sanity to return to our planet and for humanity to fulfill its destiny. The arising of space consciousness is the next stage in the evolution of humanity." pg 227 of A New Earth

Knowing the Universe as Yourself

2009-01-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

Join us as we discuss this further this Thursday at Bellevue Unity Church at 7:00pm. The links below will take you to the meetup pages.

www.meetup.com/bellevuetollegroup

Higher Order

2009-01-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

Behind the sometimes seemingly random or even chaotic succession of events in our lives as well as in the world lies concealed the unfolding of a higher order and purpose. This is beautifully expressed in the Zen saying "The snow falls, each flake in its appropriate place." We can never understand this higher order through our thinking about it because whatever we think about is content; whereas, the higher order emanates from the formless realm of consciousness, from universal intelligence. But we can glimpse it, and more than that, align ourselves with it, which means be conscious participants in the unfolding of that higher purpose. (A New Earth pg 194)

Join us on January 22, 2009 at Bellevue Unity Church as we continue to discuss this as well as other themes from Tolle's book, A New Earth

For more information visit the meetup site at www.meetup.com/bellevuetollegroup

As Without so Within

2009-01-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

When you look up at the clear sky at night, you may easily realize a truth at once utterly simple and extraordinarily profound. What is it that you see? The moon, planets, stars, the luminous band of the Milky Way, perhaps a comet or even the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy two million light years away. Yes, but if you simplify even more, what do you see? Objects floating in space. So what does the universe consist of? Objects and space.

If you don't become speechless when looking out into space on a clear night, you are not really looking, not aware of the totality of what is there. You are probably only looking at the objects and perhaps seeking to name them. If you have ever experienced a sense of awe when looking into space, perhaps even felt a deep reverence in the face of this incomprehensible mystery, it means you must have relinquished for a moment your desire to explain and label and have become not only aware of the objects in space but of the infinite depth of space itself. You must have become still enough inside to notice the vastness in which these countless worlds exist. The feeling of awe is not derived from the fact that there are billions of worlds out there, but the depth that contains them all...

There is something within you that has an affinity with space; that is why you can be aware of it. Aware of it? That is not totally true either because how can you be aware of space if there is nothing there to be aware of?

The answer is both simple and profound. When you are aware of space, you are not really aware of anything, except awareness itself--the inner space of consciousness. Through you, the universe is becoming aware of itself! (A New Earth pg 218)

Finding Who You Truly Are

2008-12-29T08:40:00.001-08:00

Gnothi Seauton---Know Thyself. These words are inscribed above the entrance to the temple of Apollo at Delphi, site of the sacred Oracle. In ancient Greece people would visit the Oracle hoping to find out what destiny had in store for them or what course of action to take in a particular situation. It is likely that most visitors read those words as they entered the building without realizing that they pointed to a deeper truth than anything the Oracle could possibly tell them. They may not have realized either that, no matter how great a revelation or how accurate the information they received it would ultimately prove to be of no avail, would not save them from further unhappiness and self-created suffering, if they failed to find the truth concealed in that injunction--Know Thyself. What those words imply is this: Before you ask any other question, first ask the most fundamental question of your life: Who am I?

Nobody can tell you who you are. It would just be another concept, so it would not change you. Who you are really requires no belief. In fact, every belief is an obstacle. It does not even require your realization, since you already are who you are. But without realization, who you are does not shine forth into this world. It remains unmanifested which is, of course, your true home.

This January, Embracing Silence returns to this all important question. Together we will join and look within to discover the answer.

Seattle Unity: Tuesday January 13 7:30 pm

Bellevue Unity: Thursday January 22 7:00pm

The Pain Body Can Be Very Seductive

2008-12-15T09:57:00.000-08:00

Join us on Thursday December 18th at Seattle Unity Church at 7:00pm

More on the Pain Body...

2008-12-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

When you realize that pain-bodies unconsciously seek more pain, that is to say, that they want something bad to happen, you will understand that many traffic accidents are caused by drivers whose pain-bodies are active at the time. When two drivers with active pain-bodies arrive at an intersection at the same time, the likely hood of an accident is many times greater than under normal circumstances. Unconsciously they both want the accident to happen. The role of pain-bodies in traffic accidents is most obvious in the phenomenon called "road rage,"when drivers become physically violent often over a trivial matter such as someone driving in front of them to slowly.

Many acts of violence are committed by "normal" people who temporarily turn into maniacs. All over the world at court proceedings you hear the defense lawyers say, "This is totally out of character," and the accused, "I don't know what came over me." Some day a lawyer may say, "This is a case of diminished responsibility. My client's pain-body was activated, and she did not know what she was doing. In fact, she didn't do it. Her pain-body did." (A New Earth 162,163)

We will be discussing some of these questions this coming Thursday...

What is your most recent experience with your pain body?

How did you handle it?

What are some ways of Breaking Free of the pain-body?

What is your experience with using these methods?

Hope you can join us!

Adam

Carrying the Past

2008-11-30T16:02:00.001-08:00

The inability or rather unwillingness of the human mind to let go of the past is beautifully illustrated in the story of two Zen monks.
Tanzan and Ekido were walking along a country road that had become extremely muddy after heavy rains. Near a village, they came upon a young woman who was trying to cross the road, but the mud was so deep it would have ruined the silk kimono she was rearing. Tanzan at once picked her up and carried her to the other side.
The monks walked on in silence. Five hours later, as they were approaching the lodging temple, Ekido couldn't restrain himself any longer. "Why did you carry that girl across the road?"he asked. "We monks are not supposed to do things like that."
"I put the girl down hours ago," said Tanzan. "Are you still carrying her?"

Many of us are still carrying the weight of the past. Embracing Silence is a place to practice "Letting Go" of the past to experience the lightness and freedom that exist right here, right now, in the present moment.

Join us this Thursday as we support each other in practicing Presence and Breaking Free of the pain body, or the "living past in you" as Tolle calls it.

www.meetup.com/BellevueTolleGroup

Breaking Free

2008-11-24T15:46:00.000-08:00

The beginning of freedom from the Pain-Body lies first of all in the realization that you have a pain-body. Then, more important, in your ability to stay present enough, alert enough, to notice the pain-body in yourself as a heavy influx of negative emotion when it becomes active. When it is recognized, it can no longer pretend to be you and live and renew itself through you.

It is your conscious Presence that breaks the identification with the pain-body. When you don't identify with it, the pain-body can no longer control your thinking and so cannot renew itself anymore by feeding on your thoughts. The pain body in most cases does not dissolve immediately, but once you have severed the link between it and your thinking, the pain-body begins to lose energy. Your thinking ceases to be clouded b emotion; your present perceptions are no longer distorted by the past. The energy that was trapped in the pain-body then changes its vibrational frequency and is transmuted into Presence. In this way, the pin-body becomes fuel for consciousness. The is why many of of the wisest, most enlightened men and women on our planet once had a heavy pain-body (A New Earth pg 162.)

Join us on December 4th at Bellevue Unity Church, and December 18 at Seattle Unity Church where we will be discussing this further. For more information about these meetings go to

www.meetup.com/bellevuetollegroup

www.meetup.com/seattletollegroup

Love and Light to you All,

Adam

A New Perspective

2008-11-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

The whole is made up of existence and Being, the manifested and the unmanifested, the world and God. So when you become aligned with the whole, you become a conscious part of the interconnectedness of the whole and its purpose: the emergence of consciousness into this world. As a result, spontaneous helpful occurrences, chance encounters, coincidences, and synchronistic events happen much more frequently. Carl Jung called synchronicity an "a causal connecting principle." This means there is no causal connection between synchronicity events on our surface level of reality. It is an outer manifestation of an underlying intelligence behind the world of appearances and a deeper connectedness that our mind cannot understand. But we can be conscious participants in the unfolding of that intelligence, the flowering of consciousness.

Nature exists in a state of unconscious oneness with the whole. This, for example, is why virtually no wild animals were killed in the tsunami disaster of 2004. Being more in touch with the totality than humans, they could sense the tsunami's approach long before it could be seen or heard and so had time to withdraw to higher terrain. ( A New Earth Pg 277.)

To quiet the mind or "Be Still and Know that I am God." means to tune in to the totality. It allows the individual consciousness to merge with all consciousness. The part becomes an instrument of the whole. Jesus said, "I and the Father are one." God is said to be all and in all, therefore, this is the experience of being one with all there is.

A Dialogue on Inner Purpose

2008-11-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

Below is a dialogue on Inner Purpose taken from Eckhart Tolle's most recent book, A New Earth. We will be discussing this on Thursday November 13th and 20th at Seattle Unity, and Bellevue Unity Churches at 7:00 P.M.

I don't know what it is, but I want some change in my life. I want expansion; I want to be doing something meaningful and, yes, I want prosperity and the freedom that comes with it. I want to do something significant, something that makes a difference in the world. But if you asked me what exactly I want, I would have to say that I don't know. Can you help me find my life purpose?

Your purpose is to sit here and talk to me, because that is where you are and that is what you are doing. Until you get up and do something else. Then, that becomes your purpose.

So my purpose is to sit in my office for the next thirty years until I retire or get laid off?

You are not in your office now, so that's not your purpose. When you do sit in your office and do whatever you do, then that is your purpose. Not for the next thirty years but for now.

I think there is some misunderstanding here. For you, purpose means what you are doing now; for me it means having an overall aim in life, something big and significant that gives meaning to what I do, something that makes a difference. Shuffling papers in the office is not it. I know that.

As long as you are unaware of Being, you will seek meaning only within the dimension of doing and of future, that is to say, the dimension of time. And whatever meaning or fulfillment you find will dissolve or turn out to have a deception. Invariably, it will be destroyed by time. Any meaning we find on that level is true only relatively and temporarily.

For example, if caring for your children gives meaning to your life, what happens to that meaning when they don't need you and perhaps don't even listen to you anymore? If helping others gives meaning to your life, you depend on others being worse off than yourself so that your life can continue to be meaningful and you can feel good about yourself. If the desire to excel, win, or succeed at this or that activity provides you with meaning, what if you never win or your winning streak comes to an end one day, as it will? You would then have to look to your imagination or memories--a very unsatisfactory place to bring some meager meaning into your life. "Making it" in whatever field is only meaningful as long as there are thousands or millions of others who don't make it, so you need other human beings to "fail" so that your life can have meaning.

I am not saying here that helping others, caring for your children, or striving for excellence in whatever field are not worthwhile things to do. For many people, they are an important part of their outer purpose, but outer purpose alone is always relative, unstable, and impermanent. This does not mean that you should not be engaged in those activities. It means you should connect them to your inner, primary purpose, so that a deeper meaning flows into what you do. (A New Earth pg 261, 262)

Tolle's Teachings Are Not Interesting

2008-11-03T14:03:00.000-08:00

As this months meetings approach, I am inspired to offer more regarding the nature of Tolle's teachings...

"This book’s main purpose is not to add new information or beliefs to your mind or to try to convince you of anything, but to bring about a shift in consciousness, that is to say, to awaken. In that sense, this book is not “interesting.” Interesting means you can keep your distance, play around with ideas and concepts in your mind, agree or disagree. This book is about you. It will change your state of consciousness or it will be meaningless. It can only awaken those who are ready. Not everyone is ready yet, but many are, and with each person who awakens, the momentum in the collective consciousness grows, and it becomes easier for others" (A New Earth pg 5.)

This is the awakening we are all taking part in. Just the fact that you're reading this is evidence enough that you are one of the "Presence Carriers." While there is great power in this, there is also great responsibility to be there for a sleeping world.

One of the greatest ways of sharpening this quality within yourself, is to share it with others. Join us this month as we continue to Practice the Art of Presence

~Adam

Your Inner and Outer Purpose

2008-10-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

As soon as you rise above mere survival, the question of meaning and purpose becomes of paramount importance in your life. Many people feel caught up in the routines of daily living that seem to deprive their life of significance. Some believe life is passing them by or has passed them by already. Others feel severly restricted by the demands of their job and supporting a family or by their financial or living situation. Some are consumed by acute stress, others by acute boredom. Some are lost in frantic doing; others lost in stagnation. Many people long for the freedom and expansion that prosperity promises. Others already enjoy the relative freedom that comes with prosperity and discover that even that is not enough to endow their lives with meaning. There is no substitutue for finding true purpose.

But the true or primary purpose of your life cannot be found on the outer level. It does not concern what you do but what you are--that is to say, your state of consciousness.

So this most important thing to realize is this: Your life has an inner purpose and an outer purpose. inner purpose concerns Being, and is primary. Outer purpose concerns doing and is secondary.... (A New Earth pg 258.)

We will be discussing this further on November 20th at Bellevue Unity Church at 7:00 PM for more information check out www.meetup.com/bellevuetollegroup/

The Three Modalities of Awakenened Doing

2008-10-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

There are three ways in which consciousness can flow into what you do and thus through you into this world, three modalities in which you can align your life with the creative power of the universe. Modality means the underlying energy-frequency that flows into what you do and connects your actions with the awakened consciousness that is emerging into this world. What you do will be dysfunctional and of the ego unless it arises out of one of these three modalities. They may change during the course of a day, although one of them may be dominant during a certain stage in your life. Each modality is appropriate to certain situations.
The modalities of awakened doing are acceptance enjoyment, and enthusiasm. Each represents a certain vibrational frequency of consciousness. You need to be vigilant to make sure that one of them operates whenever you are engaged in doing anything at all--from the most simple task to the most complex. If you are not in the state of either acceptance, enjoyment, or enthusiasm, look closely and you will find that you are creating suffering for yourself and others.

Join us on Thursday October 23 at 7:00 as we open the doors to Presence and discuss the question

"How do I experience acceptance, enjoyment, and enthusiasm in my life?"

Identification With Thought

2008-10-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

The greater part of most people's thinking is involuntary, automatic, and repetitive. It is no more than a kind of mental static and fulfills no real purpose. Strictly speaking, you don't think: Thinking happens to you. The statement "I think" implies volition. It implies that you have a say in the matter, that there is choice involved on your part. For most people, this is not yet the case. "I think" is just as false as the statement "I digest" or "I circulate my blood." Digestion happens, circulation happens, thinking happens.
The voice in the head has a life of its own. Most people are at he mercy of that voice; they are possessed my thought, by the mind. And since the mind is conditioned by the past, you are then forced to reenact the past again and again. The Eastern term for this is karma. When you are identified with that voice, you don't know this, of course. If you knew it, you would no longer be possessed because you are only truly possessed when you mistake the possessing entity for who you are, that is to say, when you become it.
The degree of identification with the mind differs from person to person. Some people enjoy periods of freedom from it however brief, and the peace, joy, and aliveness they experience in those moments make life worth living. These are also the moments when creativity, love, and compassion arise (A New Earth pg 130.)

Look now, are you identified with your mind and thinking? Or are you free?

A Vital Question

2008-09-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

A vital question to ask yourself frequently is: What is my relationship with the present moment? Then become alert to find out the answer. Am I treating the Now as no more than a means to an end? Do I see it as an obstacle? Am I making it into an enemy? Since the present moment is all you ever have, since Life is inseparable from the Now, what the question really means is: What is my relationship with Life? This question is an excellent way of unmasking the ego in you and bringing you into the state of Presence.

Perhaps there is some situation or challenge in your life that would have you say, "This is all well and good but I'm dealing with some REAL challenges. I cannot find peace in the midst of this." The teaching is that peace is not dependent on your circumstances. Peace is your inherent nature. When the mind subsides, whatever your life situation, peace arises. Even in the midst of intense physical pain, one can find a greater sense of peace through giving up mental resistance.

Take the opportunity now to ask yourself, "What is my relationship with the Present moment?"

Do I want Peace?

2008-09-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

Do I want Peace?

“If peace is really what you want, then you will choose peace. If peace mattered to you more than anything else and if you truly knew yourself to be Spirit rather than a little me, you would remain nonreactive and absolutely alert when confronted with challenging people or situations. You would immediately accept the situation and thus become one with it rather than separate yourself from it. Then out of your alertness would come a response. Who you are (consciousness), not who you think you are (a small me), would be responding. It would be powerful and effective and would make no person or situation into an enemy” (A New Earth pg. 188)

Join us October 16 in Seattle and October 23 in Bellevue for this Month's Embracing Silence Meetups! www.meetup.com

Good News Bad News

2008-09-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

The good news and the bad news of enlightenment is that it is unattainable. Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but you will never attain enlightenment. It is nothing that you can acquire. So where is the good news? The good news is, you already have it! Right now, in this moment, you are the enlightened One! Your awareness, the same awareness that is looking at this computer screen, is the One awareness that prevades the entire universe. This is the final realization. You are the One and Only. There is only One One, and you are That One. You have always been and will forever be The One. Remember this in your searching, and keep searching until you fully remember. I know I will. ~Adam

Recommended text: I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

2008-08-25T08:34:00.001-07:00

This is a very direct approach to the Presence we speak of.

Give up all questions except one: ‘Who am I?’ After all, the only fact you are sure of is that you are. The ‘I am’ is certain. The ‘I am this’ is not. Struggle to find out what you are in reality.
To know what you are, you must first investigate and know what you are not.
Discover all that you are not -- body, feelings thoughts, time, space, this or that -- nothing, concrete or abstract, which you perceive can be you. The very act of perceiving shows that you are not what you perceive.
The clearer you understand on the level of mind you can be described in negative terms only, the quicker will you come to the end of your search and realise that you are the limitless being.

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

The Holy Instant

2008-08-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you have heard of the book "A Course in Miracles." It has received significant attention in recent years. Tolle refers to it as, "One of the few channeled works he loves." I have to say that I also have found a great amount of Truth within its pages.

One of the primary tenants of Tolle's teaching is the present, or the now, as a portal to God consciousness. This same teaching is widely present within The Course. The Course refers to the now as "The Holy Instant."

This is part of what is has to say...

"The holy instant is this instant and every instant. The one you want it to be it is. The one you would not have it be is lost to you. You must decide when it is. Delay it not. For beyond the past and future, where you will not find it, it stands in shimmering readiness for your acceptance. Yet you cannot bring it into glad awareness while you do not want it, for it holds the whole release from littleness"

Another exerpt...

"Can you imagine what it means to have no cares, no worries, no anxieties, but merely to be perfectly calm and quiet all the time? Yet that is what time is for; to learn just that and nothing more. Take this very instant, now, and think of it as all there is of time. Nothing can reach you here out of the past, and it is here that you are completely absolved, completely free and wholly without condemnation. From this holy instant wherein holiness was born again you will go forth in time without fear, and with no sense of change with time."

So yet again, this timeless, eternal, present moment, is suggested as the gateway to the ultimate, the portal to freedom, and the realization of one's true nature.

For more information about The Course, you can visit the home page http://www.acim.org/

Making Friends witht the Present

2008-08-03T15:39:00.000-07:00

"Once you have reached a certain level of consciousness, (and if you are reading this, you almost certainly have), you are able to decide what kind of relationship you want to have with the present moment. Do I want the present moment to be my friend or my enemy? The present moment is inseprable from life, so you are really deciding what kind of relatioship you want to have with life. Once you have decided you want the present moment to be your friend, it is up to you to make the first move: Become friendly toward it, weclome it no matter in what disguise it comes, and soon you will see the results. Life becomes friendly toward you; people become helpful, circumstances cooperative. Once decision changes your entire reality. But that one decision you have to make again and again and again-until it becomes natural to life in such a way" ( A New Earth p 201.)

Tolle Videos on You Tube

2008-07-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

This is just a small note to point you to the many videos available on YouTube that promote the flowering of human consciousness. These links may be helpful to you in finding them.

Also, take a moment, Now, to remember your true nature.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPg9DnMP2D4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg9lY7_hCGA

Comming Back, Again, to the Present

2008-07-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Our ability to see and feel the radiance of Being all around and within us is veiled by past and future. We are always looking but not seeing.

Look without mind, without the limitations of what you think has always been, and you might get a glimpse of what IS. You might rest your eyes on the brilliance of radiant shimmering Being. Without dwelling on past events and future possibilities, without judging and labeling, you may enter stillness. You may then become attuned to the rhythmic flow of all manifestation. You could then recognize your body-mind as an instrument, among many others, joining in the song of all creation. You might even surrender completely and dissolve into all Being for a moment of pure bliss. Just maybe.

"Past and future veil God from our Sight. Burn both of them with fire." ~Rumi

Join Us For More!

2008-07-17T14:20:00.001-07:00

Embracing Silence Presents:

The Flowering of Human Consciousness

Join us for another 10 week exploration into the reality of Who You really Are!

Week 1: The Nature of Presence
Week 2: The Emerging of Consciousness
Week 3: Forgetting Your Name
Week 4: True Self Knowledge
Week 5: The Delusion of The Future
Week 6: Our Longing for Freedom
Week 7: Overcomming the need to Label
Week 8: The Spaciousness around all Things
Week 9: Reactivity and the Egoic Self
Week 10: Participation in the Play of Form

How Are You Spending Eternity?

2008-07-06T15:17:00.000-07:00

How are you spending eternity? This may be a question you have heard before, but I wonder if you have ever considered it in the context I am using it today.

Most people think of eternity as "a really long time." When asked this question they think it means, where are you going when you die, or how are you going to spend the rest of time. What if eternity isn't a really long time, but no time at all? What if eternity is right now.The question takes on quite a different meaning when when considered in this context.

From this perspective, the question of how are you spending eternity can be reconsidered as, how are you spending this and every moment?

The gurus, and enlightened masters of the ages have maintained that, this moment, right here, right now, is eternal. Eternity isn't a really long time, but this timeless moment. The Now has also been refered to as The Eternal Now. How are you spending it? Are you even aware of it? Are you even here existing in Eternity?

It seems that the illusion of time veils the reality of this eternal moment.

New Announcement Embracing Silence Seattle and Bellevue Merge

2008-06-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

This week the two Eckhart Tolle study groups of Bellevue and Seattle will merge for the first time at Bellevue Unity Church at 7:00pm. Hope you can join us!

You Are Not Your Mind

2008-05-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

You are not your mind. You are not your story, not your thoughts, and not "The Voice in the Head." You are consciousness itself. You are nothing that can be seen, but the seer of all. Also known as the Witness.

Try this exercise,

"First begin noticing your surroundings. Notice the clouds floating in the sky. Notice this takes no effort on your part. Your present awareness, in which these clouds are floating is very easy, effortless, spontaneous. You simply noitce that there is an effortless awareness of the clouds. The same is true of the trees, birds, and rocks. You simply and effortlessly witness them. Look now at the sensations in your body. Become aware of whatever feelings are present, maybe the pressure where you are sitting. These feelings arise in your present awareness and that awareness is very simple, easy, effortless, spontaneous. Just simply and effortlessly witness them. Look at the thoughts arising in your mind. You may notice various images, symbols, concepts, desires, hopes, and fears, all spontaneously arising in your awareness. They arise, stay a bit, and pass. These thoughts and feelings arise in your present awareness, and that awareness is very simple, effortless, spontaneous. You simply and effortlessly witness them.

So notice: you can see the clouds float by because you are not those clouds, you are the witness of those clouds. You can feel your bodily feelings because you are not those feelings-you are the witness of those feelins. You can see thoughts float by because you are not those thoughts, you are the witness of those thoughts. Spontaneously and naturally, these things all arise, on their own, in your present effortless awareness.

So who are you? You are not objects out there, you are not feelings, you are not thoughts, you are effortlessly aware of all those, so you are not those. Who or what are you?

Say it to yourself this way: I have feelings, but I am not those feelings. Who am I? I have thoughts, but I am not those thoughts. Who am I? I have desires, but I am not those desires. Who am I? So you push back into the source of your own awareness. You push back into the Witness, and you rest in the Witness. (Exerpt from Wilber, from One Taste, pg. 81)

Bring this true freedom with you today.

With Love,

Adam

Bringing Stillness into Everyday Life

2008-05-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

From the still point, there is no past, no future, only now. Also, there is no judgment, or labeling, only suchness or issness. Therefore, there is no suffering. From this perspective, "Truth is Beauty and Beauty is Truth." There may be pain, there may be some physical or emotional contraction, but it isn't transformed into suffering through mental resistance. In some ways, the pain may even hurt more because you are more aware of it, feeling it more fully, but because you aren't identified with it, or creating some story around it, it bothers you less.

Through daily meditation, we cultivate stillness. We become less disturbed by daily events and generally more peaceful. Life continues to happen. Challenges continue to arise. Because of our deep rootedness in the ocean of being, the surface waves have less effect on us. Yes, the ego may be tossed about, but our essence, our true nature remains unmoved, unaffected, eternally still and peaceful.

Take a moment to experience this stillness that is your true nature today.

Namaste,

~Adam

Saying Yes to What Is...

2008-05-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

One of the most powerful spiritual practices or meditations that exists is to simply say Yes.

Within this practice lies the answer to all of the pain and discomfort the ego continually creates through resisting the present moment. There may be a significant challenge facing you in your life right now, and maybe you would like nothing more than for it to be different than it is. Experiment for a moment with this practice of accepting it as it is. Then notice your experience. Can you accept what seems to be unacceptable?

In the group last night we discussed the power in just being present with nature without judgement, and what a valuable spiritual practice this is. Someone mentioned that they love to go out near their house and practice this. Recently, however, the ground she would walk on has been covered in manure. She mentioned that this makes the practice interesting. Someone commented saying, "it's important walk lightly when walking on manure."

So the metaphor is obvious. We all have manure in our lives that makes saying Yes to what is an interesting or perhaps challenging practice. Sometimes the stench of our current life situation seems like to much to bear. My suggestion is, "walk lightly" whatever the situation. Always practice Presence. Bring the light of your consciousness to it and watch it dissolve. Say Yes, and notice how it deflates without the power No. Always allow. Let go of outcome, expectations, control, everything. Then watch and enjoy as the infinite Power of Presence flows through you.

What ever change or action that needs to happen will then become obvious, as well as the path toward it.

If not Now, When? If not You, Who?

2008-05-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

These are two popular Zen Koans that seem particularly relevant given our current world situation. If not Now, When? and if it isn't you who takes the action to promote the flowering of planetary consciousness, Who? Do you know the answer???

Announcing New 10 Week Series in Bellevue and Seattle!

2008-05-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Embracing Silence is beginning another 10 week series at both Seattle and Bellevue locations! The Bellevue meeting will again be at Unity of Bellevue on Thursdays at 7:00. The Seattle meeting will again be held in the chapel of Seattle Unity on Tuesdays at 7:00. All are welcome!

Embracing Silence Approaches Conclusion of Initial 10 Week Series.

2008-05-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

This week marks the final week of the first 10 week class for Embracing Silence. Stay tuned for what's next!!!

A Course in Miracles® - ACIM: Home Page

2008-05-04T22:19:00.000-07:00

A Course in Miracles® - ACIM: Home Page

If Eckhart Tolle's teachings resonate for you, you may also want to explore A Course in Miracles.

YouTube - a new earth webclass 1-6

2008-05-04T21:51:00.000-07:00

YouTube - a new earth webclass 1-6

Take a look at where our group started!

The Official Site for The Work of Byron Katie

2008-05-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

The Official Site for The Work of Byron Katie

Byron Katie's work continues to inspire millions through following the path of inquiry to peace

Adam Seward - The Bellevue Byron Katie Meetup (Bellevue, WA) - Meetup.com

2008-05-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

Adam Seward - The Bellevue Byron Katie Meetup (Bellevue, WA) - Meetup.com

Adam Seward - Embracing Silence, Bellevue (Bellevue, WA) - Meetup.com

2008-05-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

Adam Seward - Embracing Silence, Bellevue (Bellevue, WA) - Meetup.com

'New Earth' has folks buzzing - Health & Fitness - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington

2008-05-02T23:36:00.000-07:00

'New Earth' has folks buzzing - Health & Fitness - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington

Watch A New Earth Web Classes on Oprah.com

2008-05-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Watch A New Earth Web Classes on Oprah.com